Well I was finally able to get out for my first full 18-hole round of the year yesterday.
Known to the locals as the "People's Pebble" - this is a fun (if a bit scruffy) little track that is very much a tale of two nines. The first being parkland and the second running through the dunes along the coast of Monterey Bay.
Par 70 - and not very long at all. Just over 5700 yards from the tips.
Paid $60 walking and out foursome got round in just over 3 hours 30 mins. Played with the new Kirkland Performance 2.0 3-piece ball and found it handled very well. The greens were in tremendous shape.
Hole descriptions are from the course website but the pictures are by me - a few are from my first visit in September..
Egan Nine
The front nine, designed by two-time United States Amateur Champion H. Chandler Egan, offers the golfer a glimpse of architecture reminiscent of some of the world's most memorable courses. The out and back, figure-eight design was originally conceived with opening and closing par fives; however, when a modern clubhouse was built in 1960, the routing was changed. This new routing features one of the most unique opening stanzas in all of golf. Two par threes followed by two par fours and two par fives greet the golfer as he makes his way out to the farthest point on the course and turns for home. Although the Monterey Bay is visible on several of the holes, the narrower fairways and small greens demand the player's attention before the visual feast that awaits him on the second nine.
#1 - Little Tombstone - Par 3 - 146 yards
Measuring just under 150 yards, the player is faced with a fairly straight-forward hole to open the round. Aptly named for the El Carmelo Cemetery bordering this hole on the right; this par three features a bunker guarding the back left and mounding guarding the right side of a smallish green. The green slopes back to front, so the smart play is to keep the ball left and below the hole.
#2- Big Tombstone - Par 3 - 193 yards
Big Tombstone also features the same cemetery along its right side, but that's where the similarities to its little brother end. Uphill and long, this par three gives the player everything he can handle. Again featuring mounding short and right and a cavernous bunker hugging the left side of the green, this hole demands a well- struck shot to safely reach the putting surface. Players must leave the ball below the hole on this sloping green if they are to have a realistic chance at par.
#3 - Egan's Alley - Par 4 - 305 yards
This manageable hole doglegs left around a grove of Monterey Pines, but be careful to lay up short of the lone Oak tree to have an unobstructed short iron into the green. This green's main defense is its diagonal slope, but be wary of bunkering left and long.
#4 - Blind Birdie - Par 4 - 259 yards
This hole looks benign to the first-time player, but many a golfer has walked away from this very short par four with bogey or worse. With out of bounds down the right and trees lining the left, a long iron or hybrid will leave the player a wedge into this two-tiered green. Bunkers left and long are not of much concern, but stopping an approach close to the pin is tough on this skinny green.
#5 - The Finisher - Par 5 - 510 yards
Pacific Grove Golf Links’ first par five offers the skilled player a good chance at birdie, but a well-placed drive is key on this slight dogleg left. The second shot must be positioned correctly to offer an easy short iron into this small oval green. With no bunkering, the third shot should be easy, save for the grassy mounding surrounding the entire back portion of the green. This creates havoc on many a wayward shot and on properly reading the subtle breaks of this seemingly simple putting surface.
#6 - Long Tom - Par 5 - 527 yards
This brute of a par five plays uphill and usually into the prevailing wind. Originally the opening hole of the course, this par five must have been a real challenge in 1932! Keeping the drive up the left side of the fairway opens up the second shot as the hole moves slightly left to right, and then downhill to a well-guarded green. Accurate placement of the second shot allows a more manageable third to this severely sloping green. Keeping the ball below the hole is a must for anyone looking to card par or better.
#7 - Plateau - Par 4 - 304 yards
Demanding a well-placed tee shot, this short par four tests the player's accuracy from start to finish. Stray too far right and you have to cross a bunker and trees to reach the small green. Stray too far left and you have to navigate the Monterey Pines closely bordering the fairway and cross a bunker guarding the left. Still, birdie is a possibility with a good approach.
#8 - Dogleg - Par 4 - 419 yards
Eight is a sweeping dogleg right that places a premium on a long left-to-right ball flight. What follows is an adventurous second into a finger of a green running diagonally. The lone greenside bunker is not an issue, but the proximity to the out of bounds along the right is. Aim for the center of the green and par is within your reach.
#9 - Point Pinos - Par 3 - 213 yards
Played directly into the prevailing wind, this long par three measures over 200 yards and demands a solid drive to reach the putting surface. Made easier by a family of deer who routinely lounge in the stand of trees on the left side of the fairway, a par on this hole can jumpstart your scoring heading out the back nine. Don't let the deer lull you to sleep, however, as the subtle breaks on this green can lead to bogey or worse.
Known to the locals as the "People's Pebble" - this is a fun (if a bit scruffy) little track that is very much a tale of two nines. The first being parkland and the second running through the dunes along the coast of Monterey Bay.
Par 70 - and not very long at all. Just over 5700 yards from the tips.
Paid $60 walking and out foursome got round in just over 3 hours 30 mins. Played with the new Kirkland Performance 2.0 3-piece ball and found it handled very well. The greens were in tremendous shape.
Hole descriptions are from the course website but the pictures are by me - a few are from my first visit in September..
Egan Nine
The front nine, designed by two-time United States Amateur Champion H. Chandler Egan, offers the golfer a glimpse of architecture reminiscent of some of the world's most memorable courses. The out and back, figure-eight design was originally conceived with opening and closing par fives; however, when a modern clubhouse was built in 1960, the routing was changed. This new routing features one of the most unique opening stanzas in all of golf. Two par threes followed by two par fours and two par fives greet the golfer as he makes his way out to the farthest point on the course and turns for home. Although the Monterey Bay is visible on several of the holes, the narrower fairways and small greens demand the player's attention before the visual feast that awaits him on the second nine.
#1 - Little Tombstone - Par 3 - 146 yards
Measuring just under 150 yards, the player is faced with a fairly straight-forward hole to open the round. Aptly named for the El Carmelo Cemetery bordering this hole on the right; this par three features a bunker guarding the back left and mounding guarding the right side of a smallish green. The green slopes back to front, so the smart play is to keep the ball left and below the hole.
#2- Big Tombstone - Par 3 - 193 yards
Big Tombstone also features the same cemetery along its right side, but that's where the similarities to its little brother end. Uphill and long, this par three gives the player everything he can handle. Again featuring mounding short and right and a cavernous bunker hugging the left side of the green, this hole demands a well- struck shot to safely reach the putting surface. Players must leave the ball below the hole on this sloping green if they are to have a realistic chance at par.
#3 - Egan's Alley - Par 4 - 305 yards
This manageable hole doglegs left around a grove of Monterey Pines, but be careful to lay up short of the lone Oak tree to have an unobstructed short iron into the green. This green's main defense is its diagonal slope, but be wary of bunkering left and long.
#4 - Blind Birdie - Par 4 - 259 yards
This hole looks benign to the first-time player, but many a golfer has walked away from this very short par four with bogey or worse. With out of bounds down the right and trees lining the left, a long iron or hybrid will leave the player a wedge into this two-tiered green. Bunkers left and long are not of much concern, but stopping an approach close to the pin is tough on this skinny green.
#5 - The Finisher - Par 5 - 510 yards
Pacific Grove Golf Links’ first par five offers the skilled player a good chance at birdie, but a well-placed drive is key on this slight dogleg left. The second shot must be positioned correctly to offer an easy short iron into this small oval green. With no bunkering, the third shot should be easy, save for the grassy mounding surrounding the entire back portion of the green. This creates havoc on many a wayward shot and on properly reading the subtle breaks of this seemingly simple putting surface.
#6 - Long Tom - Par 5 - 527 yards
This brute of a par five plays uphill and usually into the prevailing wind. Originally the opening hole of the course, this par five must have been a real challenge in 1932! Keeping the drive up the left side of the fairway opens up the second shot as the hole moves slightly left to right, and then downhill to a well-guarded green. Accurate placement of the second shot allows a more manageable third to this severely sloping green. Keeping the ball below the hole is a must for anyone looking to card par or better.
#7 - Plateau - Par 4 - 304 yards
Demanding a well-placed tee shot, this short par four tests the player's accuracy from start to finish. Stray too far right and you have to cross a bunker and trees to reach the small green. Stray too far left and you have to navigate the Monterey Pines closely bordering the fairway and cross a bunker guarding the left. Still, birdie is a possibility with a good approach.
#8 - Dogleg - Par 4 - 419 yards
Eight is a sweeping dogleg right that places a premium on a long left-to-right ball flight. What follows is an adventurous second into a finger of a green running diagonally. The lone greenside bunker is not an issue, but the proximity to the out of bounds along the right is. Aim for the center of the green and par is within your reach.
#9 - Point Pinos - Par 3 - 213 yards
Played directly into the prevailing wind, this long par three measures over 200 yards and demands a solid drive to reach the putting surface. Made easier by a family of deer who routinely lounge in the stand of trees on the left side of the fairway, a par on this hole can jumpstart your scoring heading out the back nine. Don't let the deer lull you to sleep, however, as the subtle breaks on this green can lead to bogey or worse.
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